As the Editor of Glam Adelaide, I live a pretty hectic life. Long work hours, attending events, being a wife and homemaker, and raising two young daughters who are 4 and 6. My husband and I have a tendency to be ‘switched on’ permanently, and always on the go, and lately we’ve noticed our kids are as highly strung and stressed out as we are. It was time for a change.
First up, a new puppy.
Florence at 8 weeks
Florence the Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog) joined our family in October, and has been a dream.
The kids are spending more time playing with her, and being outside, and less time on devices. They are slowing down, taking the time to think about something other than themselves, and becoming more nurturing. We are also spending more time together as a family. We’re loving it. And she’s pretty gorgeous too.
Next change. We bought a tiny second hand caravan. No more excuses. Time for mini breaks and getaways to unwind, unplug and spend more time together as a family. We couldn’t be more excited.
Before we head out adventuring though, we needed to test it out. Make sure the caravan had all the right bits, and poles, and kitchen essentials. So we booked in at Adelaide Shores in West Beach. The perfect destination for a family with kids. There’s only one thing we forgot to check. Was it Florence-friendly… And unfortunately the answer was no. No dogs allowed at this particular caravan park – so at least we learnt to check for that in the future too! Luckily the solution was convenient, close by, and highly recommended to us. Beau’s Pet Hotel.
The Classic Suites at Beau’s
Beau’s is run by Guide Dogs SA/NT and is located on Tapleys Hill Road, right next to Harbour Town and the airport. It was nice and close to Adelaide Shores, and it’s only recently opened, so it’s all shiny and new.
Friends of ours have boarded cats and dogs there, and have all come back with similar feedback – their pets returned to them unstressed and happy.
As a kid in a military family, we often boarded our pets when I was young, and our pets ALWAYS hated us after we picked them up from the kennels, so this positive outcome surprised me. But would it be the same for Florence? At 4 and a half months old, it was time for her to find out.
Florence checking in to Beau’s
It would seem Beau’s was a home away from home. From my superior dog whispering skills, and my subsequent conversations with my puppy, it would seem Florence loved her time at Beau’s.
The email she sent us with photos mid-stay was an unexpected surprise (yes, we had no idea Florence could use the net, but these days everyone has a #babygenius right?), and the kids loved seeing what she was up to!
As for the venue itself, it’s laid out like a hotel, rather than a kennel. The dogs are walked three times a day, which far exceeds what little Florence would get at home. The pets get to run around both inside and outside during their stays too, which helps when the weather gets hot (it’s air conditioned inside) or stormy. There’s also a splash pad fountain for your doggo to enjoy.
Apparently the cats have their own day atrium too as well as a water wall fountain. Back in my day, all they got was a metal cage somewhere out in whoop whoop while they waited for you to return.
The premier suites offer private courtyards for each dog, so they can see each other and get outside in a shaded, protected area.
Florence in one of the courtyards
There’s even TVs, so they can get some familiar background sounds happening to remind them of home. When I picked up Florence, she was watching Adelaide designer Paul Vasileff being interviewed on The Morning Show. Yep, this was just like being at home.
Paul is the designer behind the Paolo Sebastian brand, and the pets at Beau’s got to watch his interview.
The team of people on site were also all extreme animal lovers. They fawned over each dog that came through while we checked in, and checked out, and I could see that they loved their job.
What we also thought was brilliant, is that the $9m development has been created so it’s a social enterprise, with profits being used to help fund services for people living with disability.
Did Florence miss us? Probably, but she also seemed to love her adventure. Will we be back? Absolutely.
And just before you jump to any conclusions, we paid for our stay at Beau’s and this is my honest feedback. I wouldn’t endorse just anything when it comes to my new furry baby.
For more information about Beau’s Pet Hotel or to make an online booking for your pet, head over to their website.
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